The 13th Annual ICC Miami Conference on International Arbitration took place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami from November 1 to 3rd. The conference's theme was “Tooling up for International Arbitration" and served as a vital forum for understanding international commercial arbitration in Latin America and provided an indispensable update on developments in the region.
The prestigious conference not only offered a line-up of top-class speakers – including Miami Law’s International Arbitration Institute Director Marike Paulsson and visiting arbitration faculty member Carolyn Lamm – it also presented an excellent opportunity to network. The sold-out conference attracted over 500 participants representing more than 30 nationalities, including leading arbitration counsel, arbitrators, corporate counsel and academics. The conference was entirely trilingual (English, Portuguese, Spanish).
Miami Law’s International Arbitration LL.M. students attended the conference and various satellite events and served as volunteers. Many reported that the conference was highly educational and a fantastic networking opportunity.
“It was an unparalleled opportunity to meet arbitration's most distinguished leaders," said International Arbitration Joint J.D./LL.M. candidate Kristy Alvarez of the conference. Davide Schiavetti, an International Arbitration LL.M. candidate from Italy and Young ICCA Scholar, who volunteered at the conference, said he enjoyed “the chance to witness different approaches of international practitioners with respect to document production.”
Satellite events surrounding the ICC Miami Conference included a Halloween-themed roundtable discussion hosted by the ICC’s Young Arbitrators’ Forum and Miami Law’s International Arbitration Institute.
“The small and intimate setting allowed me to interact with the Panel in a way that would not have been possible in other events," said International Arbitration Joint J.D./LL.M. candidate Kevin Correa. "I had the opportunity to speak with jurists from different countries, and have an in-depth conversation with them.”
Another event during the ICC Conference was the discussion organized by the Spanish Arbitration Club focused on the new relationship between Cuba and the United States and the role of international arbitration.
“Wow," said Alejandro Alvarez, an International Arbitration LL.M. candidate from Venezuela. "The CEA [Spanish Arbitration Club] event had extraordinary speakers that dealt with one of the most interesting issues such as doing business in Cuba.”
There was also an ArbitralWomen breakfast discussion on unconscious bias in international arbitration.
“I am totally in favor of these initiatives," said Ana Lombardia, an International Arbitration LL.M. candidate from Spain and International Arbitration Institute Scholar. "It is essential that women of the different professional sectors support each other, because, in spite of the progress experienced during these last decades, women still have to face great obstacles to be treated as equal to men. The speakers were, all but one women, from an older generation and all of them are very prestigious professionals. I found their testimonies truly inspiring.”
The White & Case International Arbitration LL.M. Program features an unparalleled curriculum of specialized theoretical and practical courses, taught by an internationally-renowned faculty, comprising world-class arbitration practitioners, who help students start or advance their careers in international arbitration.
